When He Returned
by DollLover2Death
Summary: Lizzie's all set to marry Ethan Craft, but when an old friend comes back into her life, who will she choose?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok… So this story was written by Dangerous Combonation, but she never finished this story! The first 4 chapters are all hers, besides the fact that I COMPLETELY deleted her OC (Ellie), cause I absolutely HATE OC's. But starting at 5th chapter, the story belongs to me. Enjoy!**

Lizzie squealed, "I still can't believe I'm getting married! And to Ethan Craft!" Miranda said to her over the phone, "Lizzie, chill! Don't get too excited, or you'll make yourself sick. Or worse, you'll jinx yourself and this wedding won't happen."

"Miranda! Don't say that! You'll get me all depressed!"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

Lizzie smiled and said, "Hey, I've got to go. Mom's coming over soon to help me make some plans before I go off to meet Ethan for dinner. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, chica!"

"Later, Miranda!"

She hung up her phone and walked into her bedroom to take a shower. Lizzie lived by herself after she went to college. She attended UCLA for 4 years and received her Master's degree. Then she went to work in a school in her hometown. Now she was a Drama teacher. Her apartment was exactly what she could have ever wanted. She had white plush carpeting throughout the entire place. She had a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, 1 full bathroom in the master bedroom, and a half bathroom by the kitchen. In her living room she had a TV, DVD player, surround sound and a stereo. Her bedroom had another stereo and a huge bed. Her kitchen had blue and white linoleum flooring, dark blue countertops, light wood cabinets, and a bar, which connected to the living room. She loved her apartment and she wouldn't trade it in for the world. Lizzie stepped out of the warm bathroom in a damp towel and put on a pair of purple pajama paints and white tank top. She wrapped her hair up in a towel and went into the kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate while she was waiting for her mom.

Jo McGuire arrived 5 minutes later and pulled up in front of her daughter's apartment in her blue Elantra. She got out and sighed thinking, I can't believe my oldest daughter is graduated from college, teaching high school drama, and engaged! She knocked on Lizzie's door and Lizzie immediately opened the door, a cup of steaming hot chocolate in her hand.

"Hi, Mom! Come in…it's freezing out there. Here, have a cup of hot cocoa."

"Thanks, baby."

She took the cup and hugged her daughter with one arm and then followed her into the kitchen. She sat down at one end of the small table in the middle of the room and Lizzie poured herself another cup of hot cocoa and sat at the other end.

"How are you doing, sweetie?"

I'm great, Mom!"

"Good…I like Ethan. He's a real catch!"

"Mom!"

Jo smiled and said, "Alright, now let's get some things decided on. Who's going to be your Maid of Honor?"

"Duh, Mom! Miranda!"

"Alright then…have you and Ethan set a date yet?"

"We're looking at either May 1st, or July 22nd. Those are the best days that the hall has available."

"So you both want a summer wedding?"

"Yes."

"So that means you have to have summery colors for your bridesmaids dresses…and for your bouquet!"

"Okay."

"So…you should consider some bright colors for the bridesmaids dresses…any ideas?"

"Well I like cerulean…is that bright enough? Really, Mom, no offense, but it is December! Why do we have to decide everything now?"

She sighed and said, "I guess we don't."

"Alright, good. I have to go get ready. I have a date with my fiancé!"

Jo laughed and said, "Alright, well, I'll see you later then, dear."

Lizzie hugged her mom and said, "Bye, Mom."

Her mom smiled and left the apartment while Lizzie went into her bedroom to decide on what to wear.

After much contemplation, Lizzie finally decided on wearing a black halter dress with black-strappy heels. She grabbed a black purse, her car keys, and headed out to her blue mustang. It took her a long time to afford her car on a teacher's salary, but she finally saved enough. She turned on the engine and sped off out of the parking lot to her apartment complex. She was going down the street, thinking about her teen years and all the fun she had with Miranda and her old friend, Gordo. She wondered whatever happened to Gordo. She hadn't seen him since high school. He'd gone off to film school to become a director and Lizzie and him had lost touch. She turned onto a side street and kept thinking about high school.

She was so distracted with her thoughts she rear-ended a Mercedes. She was going slowly so she didn't get hurt, but she figured she messed up the front of her mustang pretty bad. She cried out at the impact and jumped out of her car, as did the person she rear-ended, walking to the Mercedes in front of her, glancing at the damage to her car. My salary won't cover this…She met up with the driver of the other car and said, "Oh man, sir, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying any attention." She paused in her apology and Lizzie took this moment to examine him a little closer. He had dark brown curly hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was thin and muscular looking. He said to her, "It's okay, really."

"I'll pay for the damages…it was my fault anyway. I don't know how I'm going to pay for it, though…I'll think of something."

"Hey, don't worry about it. The damages aren't that bad. I'll pay for them."

"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to do that. It's my fault and I couldn't ask you to pay that much! You'd have to be a big movie director or something to pay for both of them."

They laughed and he said, "David Gordon. Movie director."

Lizzie stood, flabbergasted. She spit out, "Da-David Gordon? Oh wow…Gordo?"

"No one's called me Gordo since high school…"

"Gordo! It's me, Lizzie! Lizzie McGuire!"

"Lizzie!"

He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up, spinning her around in a huge hug. He put her down and kissed her cheek. Later as she thought about it, she realized she should've felt weird with Gordo kissing her on the cheek like that, but right then she was too excited at seeing him again to think properly. He said, "How've you been? I haven't seen you since senior year!"

"I can't believe it's really you! I've been great! How about you?"

He hugged her again and said, "I've been awesome, too. I'm a film director…a long lost dream turned reality. Hey, where you heading? We need to catch up!"

"Actually I was about to go out on a date…with my fiancé…Ethan Craft."

He glanced at her left ring finger and not seeing a ring said, "You joking me? I don't see a ring…"

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision and he hasn't gotten a ring yet."

"Well wouldn't you know? Lizzie marrying Ethan Craft. I never would've guessed. Remember back in middle and high school when you and Miranda obsessed over him and dreamed of marrying him? Who would've thought the dream would come true?"

She smiled and said, "Yeah, I know. It was a shock when he proposed. Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm late. Here, let me give you number," she pulled out a piece of paper and pen from her purse and scribbled down her number saying, "and you can call me sometime this weekend. Then we'll figure out when we can meet and catch up. Sound good?"

He smiled and Lizzie noticed he had perfect white teeth and he said, "Sounds good."

She handed him her number and hugged him again saying, "I can't believe it's you!" She got into her car and backed up. Gordo checked out the front of her car and said, "Doesn't look bad at all. It won't be too expensive. Don't worry about me paying for it." She smiled, honked her horn and waved a she drove off down the street.

Gordo looked at the number in his hand and smiled, thinking about her. Her intoxicating scent, her long golden hair, her sparkling blue crystal eyes. She certainly has gotten even more beautiful since high school. He found himself thinking about her lips, and how great it would feel to kiss her. He stopped himself before he could go anywhere else with his thoughts. She's engaged to be married to Ethan Craft. Forget being anything but a friend. Thinking that didn't stop his rapidly growing affection for her.

Lizzie drove off down the street, smiling. She just couldn't stop smiling. All she could think about was him. He's got that "dark hair with light eyes" thing going, and believe me, that's always a fine quality! She arrived at the restaurant, putting on the finishing touches to her make-up. She entered the Italian restaurant, still thinking about Gordo. She checked her watch; she was fifteen minutes late. Lizzie looked around the restaurant; searching for the familiar blonde hair she'd fallen in love with when she was fourteen.

She spotted Ethan in the corner, two candles between him and an empty chair, and a vase with a single red rose in the middle of the candles. He had two glasses in front of him, both empty, like he was waiting on a third round. She headed over to him as the waitress brought him another round of whatever it was she was drinking. He looked up and saw her, his eyes instantly brightening and his signature smile that sent her weak in the knees spread across his face. He got up and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then pulled her chair out for her before sitting down himself. Once seated he asked, "Where were you? You're like, 20 minutes late…"

"I'm sorry!" She put on her most sorry face and he caved, cracking another smile.

"Ok, ok. So where were you?"

"Well, first Mom came over to go over some details for the wedding, and I told her that it was December and that the wedding was in the summer so she left. Then I had to quickly get ready because I was already running late! Then I'm in my car and heading towards here, taking every side street and shortcut I know. I was going down Lands Boulevard, thinking about high school and hanging out with Miranda and Gordo and obsessing over you and all that when guess what happened?"

"What?" Ethan loved it when she got so excited over something so simple as driving down a side street.

"I rear-ended a guy!"

"What? Are you okay, baby?" He almost leaped over the table but she put a hand up and said, "No, I'm fine! Geez, honey! Sit down and chill!"

He sat and took a deep breath and said, "So who did you hit?"

"That's what's amazing! It was Gordo! You remember him, right? A bit on the short side, curly dark hair, light blue eyes, really into directing…"

"Liz, slow it down! Of course I remember Gordon! He was like, the smartest guy…like ever."

Lizzie laughed and said, "So I hit Gordo, who I haven't seen since high school and now he's like, this big time director and stuff so he's going to pay for all the damages! Isn't that just fantastic!"

"How bad is your Mustang?"

She took a loud breath and shook her head saying, "Not pretty."

"How bad…"

"Actually not that bad. My front end's a little banged up and the paints all scratched."

"It isn't fair to your old friend to pay for it all, Liz…"

"I know! I offered to pay for both the damages, as it was my fault, but he said no way! He insisted he pay for it all because he's this big time movie director, as I said, and he's so rich and all."

Ethan shook his head, wanting to change the subject, and said, "So how is old Gor-don?"

"He's good…" Lizzie closed her eyes and remembered seeing him. He took her breath away, after all these years. Who would have thought? Two people who hadn't seen or heard from each other in well over 5 years could still leave the other completely jelly-legged and breathless. Lizzie opened her eyes and studied the man in front of her. His dark curly hair…his light eyes that could melt or break your heart…that smile that only he had. Lizzie shook her head. That wasn't Ethan! I was just admiring Gordo…I saw Gordo across from me, not Ethan…what's happening?

Dinner went smoothly. Ethan talked about his job and Lizzie listened, as usual. It was amazing how much he'd changed in the past 6 or 7 years. He used to be anything but an Einstein, and now he had a chain of hair care products and a store to match. And to think, they all thought he'd end up scraping gum off of movie theatre floors. His good hair finally paid off. She could still remember in 8th grade when she nearly fainted at the sight of him. And then in 10th grade when she danced with him at a party at Parker's house. And then a year after she had left college and she bumped into him at the supermarket and then gone out with him. And now, here they were, nearly a year and a half later, and she was engaged to him!

After dinner, Ethan followed Lizzie home to make sure she "didn't hit anymore directors or old friends" as he had said. They reached her house and he got out of his own car and walked her to the door. At the door, she fumbled with her keys, the universal sign of girls that she wants a kiss. He stooped down and caught her in a ginger kiss. She felt her knees go out, as they always did when he kissed her. He pulled back and she stared into his light eyes and ran her fingers through his curly hair. She kissed him again, and this time it sent her to another world. Amazing how kisses can do that to you, huh? She pulled back this time and stared into his bright blue eyes, wide with excitement and youth, and felt right. She shook her head again, whispering, "Oh no, not again…" Ethan gave her a funny look and she just said, "Oh nothing. It's nothing. I better go inside. Bye, Ethan!" She kissed him quickly again and he said, "Bye, Liz." She opened the door and quickly went inside and shut the door. She leaned up against it and sunk down to the floor, her head in her hands. I can't be thinking about kissing Gordo when I'm kissing Ethan! That…that…that's like cheating on him! In my mind! Oh God, this is not good. Could I really be falling for Gordo…again?

 _This cannot be happening…_


	2. Chapter 2

**I changed the title, because I didn't like the name she had, the original is called 'Long Lost Friend.'**

Gordo called Lizzie the next day after she had returned from work. She was excited at his call, even though she was scared because of the way she had felt the night before while she was kissing Ethan. They talked for a few minutes and then arranged to meet on Saturday at a restaurant for lunch. Despite her fear, she was still excited and anxious to see him.

Saturday arrived quicker than Lizzie expected. She wasn't sure what she should wear. On one hand, she wanted to look nice, but she didn't want Gordo to think she had dressed up for the occasion. She finally decided on a simple denim skirt, a purple camisole with a white button up shirt and purple flip-flops. She put on some silver earrings and the matching necklace, grabbed her purse, her cell phone and keys and headed out to her car. She hoped she could talk to Gordo about car repairs today, and convince him to let her pay for her own damages, as it was her car, and her fault. She quickly drove to the casual restaurant that she had suggested they meet at, thinking of Ethan and they day they ran into each other at the supermarket.

 **FLASHBACK**  
 _Lizzie pushed her cart slowly down aisle 2, searching for peanut butter, and thinking about her new job at her old high school, teaching drama. She was so into her search for her favorite peanut butter, she didn't realize where she was going. She was taken from her search when she slammed her cart into another cart. She immediately started apologizing, "Oh, jeez, look at clumsy me! I'm so sorry, sir. Really, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention." It was then that she looked up into the man's tanned face. He was incredibly good looking, with blonde hair and bright eyes. Lizzie immediately found herself attracted to him, and for some reason he reminded her of someone. She gave him a puzzled look and he smiled, saying, "What?"_

 _"You…you just look…so familiar…"_

 _"Really? I've never run into anyone as pretty as you with my shopping cart before…"_

 _She giggled and then said, "What's your name?"_

 _"Ethan," he extended his hand over the shopping carts. She reached for it, liking how warm his hand was and how strong his handshake was. He continued, "Ethan Craft. And may I ask what your name is?"_

 _"Lizzie McGuire."_

 _It took a moment but all of a sudden, it clicked. Then they started firing off questions quickly, without listening to the other._

 _"Ethan!"_

 _"Liz!"_

 _"It's so good to see you!"_

 _"I haven't seen you since high school!"_

 _"How've you been?"_

 _"What are you up to?"_

 _"Did you go to college?"_

 _"How was college? You got a job yet?"_

 _Lizzie put her hand up and they both silenced, smiling at their immaturity. She walked to him quickly and pulled him into a hug. She broke the embrace and looked up into his eyes and said, "It's nice to see you again, Ethan."_

 _"You too, Lizzie."_

 _He smiled and she blushed, realizing that his smiles still made her melt. She walked back to her cart and they walked along the aisle, talking about old times and what they had been doing since high school. Before Lizzie knew it Ethan had asked her out on a date. It was a dream come true…_

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

Lizzie sighed, thinking of their first date, their first kiss, and how quickly they fell in love. It was funny to her how she always seemed to run into old friends, literally. Her cell phone's muffled ringing, buried deep in her purse, broke her thoughts. Because she hated talking on the phone and driving, she pulled over into a neighborhood and began the search for her phone. It was about to go to voicemail when she finally found it. She pulled it out and quickly answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, baby."

"Hey, Ethan! What's up?"

"Well, I was just sitting here, wondering when I'd be able to put a ring on your finger and make it official that we were engaged…"

"Uh huh…"

"And I thought I'd call and ask you if you wanted to go ring shopping with me, so I know what to get and how much money I'll need to buy you your prefect dream ring!"

"Oh, Ethan, that sounds great! When? Next weekend?"

"Why wait a whole week, Liz? Let's go today! I can come and get you at your apartment in an hour…"

"Oh, sorry, honey! I have plans…"

"Plans?"

"Yeah, you remember I ran into Gordo the other day? Literally?" She laughed a little before going on, "Well we planned to meet and catch up today. I'm on my way to meet him for lunch right now…"

"Oh, man! I was so excited about seeing you today…can't you break your plans?"

"Ethan! I'm on my way to meet him now! Besides, I haven't seen Gordo since high school! I want to talk with him and see how he's doing! I've missed him."

There was silence on the other end. Lizzie continued, "Look, I know you're disappointed but you can't really expect me to just break my plans with Gordo because of a spur of the moment decision you've made."

"Well, Liz…I'm your fiancé, and I should be your number one priority…"

"Ethan, you're being ridiculous. I'm not breaking my plans."

"Come on, Liz! Don't you want a ring?"

"Of course I do, Ethan. But I'm not breaking my plans for it! Come on, Ethan! Be serious!"

"I am being serious, Lizzie. It's one day! You can get together with Gordon anytime!"

"No, Ethan. No. You're right. It's one day. One day I'm spending with an old friend who I haven't seen in a really long time. It's one day I'm missing with you! Get over it and grow up!"

She hung up her phone quickly before she said things she didn't mean. She sat in her car for a second to cool down then continued towards the restaurant to meet Gordo. Why is he being so difficult? We've never fought like this before. It's like he's…jealous! Why should he be? I mean, just because I imagined kissing Gordo last night while I was kissing Ethan…Ethan doesn't know that! He shouldn't be jealous…I'm not going to give up Ethan for Gordo…never.

She arrived at the restaurant, still angry with Ethan for acting so childish. She quickly walked into the restaurant, looking for the familiar curly head. The hostess saw her looking and said, "May I help you, miss?" Lizzie turned to her, startled, and said, "Yes, I'm here to meet a friend, David Gordon? Is he here? He's short, got curly hair, and really bright bluish eyes." The hostess smiled widely and said, "Oh yes, Mr. Gordon got here a little while ago. I'll show you to his table." Lizzie followed her through the surprisingly crowded restaurant right to Gordo's table. She cleared her throat and he turned around. When he saw her his smile spread across his face. He jumped up and hugged her quickly before remembering that she was Ethan's fiancée.

"Hey, Liz!"

"Hey, Gordo!"

She sat down across from him. A waiter appeared quickly and took their drink orders. While they waited, Lizzie told Gordo of her years at college. When the drinks arrived and they had placed their food orders, it was Gordo's turn to tell of film school and achieving his dream. Then the conversation, oddly enough, turned to family. Lizzie asked him, "So how're your parents? Still shrinks?"

He laughed and replied, "Yeah. It's nuts. But I send them a lot of business. You know, psycho depressed actors."

Lizzie laughed and he asked her, "So how's your family? Your parents and Matt?"

"Well, the parents are great. Dad's gotten promoted so he isn't at home as much. Matt's off in college with Melina…you remember they started dating back when we were seniors?"

They chatted about little things for a while and then their food arrived. Gordo ate a French fry and said, "So when was the last time you talked to Miranda? Did you lose touch with her, too?"

Lizzie swallowed her food and said, "Actually, no. We've remained best friends. I talked to her yesterday, I think. I told her I was meeting you."

"She remembers me?"

Lizzie smiled and nodded and said, "Of course! She told me to give you her phone number so you guys could talk." She pulled out her cell phone and gave him Miranda's phone number. He said he'd call her later in the week. He continued the conversation, "So what's Miranda doing?"

"Well, she's just gotten out of a bad relationship with a guy named Vince. She's happier without him though, so that's good. He was too sleazy for her, anyway. She's a fashion designer now!"

"Oh man, really? What's her label?"

"She's a small designer. She just sells her clothes in her own store. She's got some really cool things! Like this purple cami came from her…and these earrings and matching necklace. She's really talented."

"Well, Randa always was good at mixing and matching."

"That she was..." They ate in silence for a minute and then Lizzie asked, "So, any girls in your life I should know about, Gordo?"

Gordo snorted and said, "Yeah, right. Like being a director leaves much time for a social life. I haven't been out like this in months. Not even with friends."

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, I'm only in town for a few more days, then I'm back in Hollywood, working on a new movie. It should be interesting…"

"So I just met back with my old friend, Gordo and he's already leaving?"

"Oh, now stop pouting, you big baby!"

She smiled and he said, "I'll only be gone for 3 weeks. We're at the "planning and casting stage" of the production, nothing serious. Once we get the script down and out to the cast, I'll be back for a month or two. Plus I have an assistant director so I can leave anytime I need to, as long as I leave him with a plan."

"Now that's better!"

They laughed and kept talking. When they finished lunch, Lizzie pulled out her wallet but Gordo said, "No, on me."

"Gordo! You've already offered to pay for enough for me, not this too!"

"Chill, Liz! It's 20 bucks! I can live with that."

"Speaking of your previous offer, Gordo, I really don't feel right with you paying for both of the damages. Really, I insist on paying for my own and at least some of yours…"

"Liz, I'm a movie director. You're a drama teacher. In all fairness, directors make much more money than teachers. Believe me. The damages weren't that bad. It won't even be a dent in my income. Don't sweat about it!"

"Gordo…"

"Just think of it as borrowing money from a friend."

"I'll pay you back. Believe me, I will. I'm just as trustworthy as I've always been." She smiled and stood up to leave, asking, "Do you want to come by and see my place? It's nothing spectacular, but since you're leaving and all…plus I want to talk to you some more…and maybe Ethan will come over to see you, if he's not too angry with me…" Gordo gave her an inquisitive look so Lizzie explained her phone conversation with him before she arrived. He responded when she had finished, "Wow, I'm sorry, Liz…you could've called me…I wouldn't have minded rescheduling…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"That's sweet, Gordo…but I really didn't want to do that. Ethan was being immature. It'll blow over. For sure."

"Okay, then…"

They headed out. Gordo followed Lizzie to her apartment in his car. They arrived quickly and he jumped out, looking around him. The outside was gorgeous, considering it was a cheap apartment building. There were gardens and fountains, and the place had a nice paint job. He'd been so into his observations, he didn't hear Lizzie calling his name. He forgot where he was until she came over to him and grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her apartment, laughing. They reached the door and Lizzie pulled out her keys and started to unlock the door. To her dismay, the door was jammed, as it tended to do. She threw herself at it, but it didn't open.

She turned to Gordo and gave him a pleading look and they both pushed on the door until it sprung open and they went flying into the apartment. Gordo hit the floor first and Lizzie landed right on top of him, her face inches from his own. He smiled and said, "Hi." She laughed and said, "Thanks." She looked into his eyes, and forgot all about Ethan and the wedding and that this was Gordo, her best friend. She leaned towards his face, and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Lizzie pulled back when she heard someone standing at the open doorway, in clear view of them kissing on the floor. She had a strange feeling she knew who it was, but she was afraid to look. She turned her head towards the door and started to sit up. She gasped at who was standing there and immediately cried, "It's not what it looks like! I swear!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzie stood up and faced her fiancé, Ethan. She said nervously, "Hi, Ethan…"

"Hey, Liz…" He looked at Gordo who was now standing slowly and caught his eyes.

"I can explain, Ethan."

Ethan stared at her, waiting for an explanation, "Well?"

"Well, see, we were trying to push the door open, you know how it gets jammed all the time." He nodded, "Suddenly it came free and we came flying in. I kind if landed on top of Gordo…" Ethan nodded again as Gordo stepped up and finished off the story, "and I know it looks like we were kissing, but she—she fell on me and it was really a coincidence that she fell like that…her lips kind of fell on mine…" Lizzie prayed that he believed their little lie.

"Well, I saw her fall from my car. In all the time it took me to get to the door, you didn't get off each other?"

"Oh, right…see, honey, I fell and so I was in a bit of shock, you know? And so by the time it registered in my in my mind that I had fallen on Gordo and it looked like we were kissing, you came up."

Gordo agreed, "Yeah, and I couldn't move because she was on top of me and I couldn't just throw her off. And like she said, I was in kind of a shock and didn't really process what was happening."

Ethan looked back and forth between Lizzie and Gordo. Lizzie was grateful she was a drama teacher and Gordo was a director, they both knew how to act. Finally Ethan said, "Well, alright. Liz, I just came by to see if you wanted to have dinner or something tonight. You didn't answer your phone…I guess I can see why…"

"Ethan, we," she motioned to Gordo, "went out to lunch to catch up, remember? I told you when you called earlier!" Ethan nodded and said, "Well do you want to go out now?"

"Well, Gordo and I came back here so I could show him my place, because he's leaving in a few days. We'll catch something here…I'm sorry, Ethan…you can stay if you want?" Ethan looked down at his shoes and said sadly, "No, that's okay. I wouldn't want to come between you guy's 'catching up' or whatever. See you later, Lizzie." He turned slowly and went back to his car, his shoulders hunched. Lizzie stared after him, the guilt starting to rise and bubble in her stomach.

"I can't tell if he believed that or not. Oh, God, Gordo…" She closed the door softly and turned to him.

"What?"

"I can't believe I kissed you…I'm engaged! What was I thinking?"

Gordo looked down at his feet. The truth was, he'd never gotten over his little crush on Lizzie. Meeting her again and talking to her, and now kissing her, brought back all of the old feelings plus newer, stronger ones. He wished he'd come back and bumped into her just one-year earlier. Maybe he'd be the one marrying her, and not Ethan Craft. He wouldn't have to stand here and listen to her go on about how it was the completely wrong thing to do.

"Look, I'm sorry, Liz."

"You're sorry? Gordo, this isn't your fault."

"How is it not my fault?"

"I landed on you. I kissed you."

"Yeah, but did I fight back? No, I just let it happen. I'm as much to blame as you are. More to blame."

"Gordo, you're really sweet. And you're nice, and you're funny. But I'm engaged. I…" her voice trailed off as she considered her next thought.

"You…what?"

She replied uncertainly, "I—I love Ethan…" As she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Kissing Gordo had pushed Ethan completely out of her heart and her mind and all she could think about was Gordo. She was so scared of these newfound feelings for Gordo.

"Okay, well, why are we standing here in the entry hall? Let's go sit in the living room."

He followed her to the living room and he sat down on the black couch. She sat on the other end, facing him.

"Why'd you have to come back now?"

Gordo turned and stared at her. How insensitive! He thought. He replied, "Excuse me?"

"Why couldn't you have come back a year ago?"

Okay, scratch that previous thought. She didn't mean it to sound so cruel… "What do you mean?"

"Gordo, you're supposed to be the smart one, remember?"

"I'm not following…"

"It mean, Gordo, that I feel terrible because I—I—I think I might like you a teensy bit…as more than a friend…but I'm engaged. If you'd come back last year, I wouldn't feel quite so guilty. I can't break up with Ethan now. Not after everything he's done for me. You and me can't happen."

"So you're just going to marry him because you'd feel guilty by not marrying him?"

"I guess so…"

"Lizzie, that's dumb!"

"Well if you're so smart, you come up with a better idea!"

"Me? Liz, you know if you do what I want you to do, you'd be calling Ethan right now and breaking it off with him for good." Lizzie looked down at her lap, "But I can't ask you to do that. If you love Ethan, then I won't stand in your way."

He got up and left the apartment before Lizzie could say another word. He drove off, not being able to believe the emotional roller coaster Lizzie McGuire was once again putting him on.

Lizzie was still sitting on her couch, replaying the conversation she'd just had with Gordo. She said out loud, "The problem is that I'm not sure I love Ethan anymore…" A tear slid down her face and hit her folded hands in her lap. Oh, I'm so goddamn confused. I want to marry Ethan…I mean, it's what I've dreamed of since I was fourteen! But now Gordo pops into the picture and all of a sudden I'm feeling like I want to be with Gordo. How can I want to be with Gordo? Hello! Earth to Lizzie! Wake up! You can't have them both! Who're you going to chose? And whose heart are you going to break?

The week went by. Gordo and Lizzie hadn't spoken to each other since Gordo walked out of her apartment. Lizzie called Ethan the day after and they arranged a date for Friday night. Friday, Lizzie thought, the day Gordo's leaving for three weeks…well, good riddance! He almost screwed up my marriage with Ethan! She glared at the wall of her apartment and then softened her expression.

" _Well, can you really blame him? I mean, come on, Lizzie…you're the one who kissed him remember?"_

"Yeah…but he didn't stop kissing me, like he said!"

" _What was he supposed to do? Throw the girl of his dreams off of him?"  
_  
"Yeah! I really just wish he'd call me…I miss not talking to him."

" _Lizzie, be reasonable here. He liked you, you kissed him, and then you broke his heart."  
_  
"So?"

"So for one spectacular moment, all of his dreams were probably coming true and then you just stomped on them with some lame excuse about not wanting to hurt Ethan."

"Well, I don't want to hurt Ethan!"

 _"But you want to hurt Gordo?"  
_  
"Of course not!"

" _Well that's precisely what you're doing by giving him this bull about not wanting to hurt Ethan. Face it, you screwed up big time."  
_  
"But—but—"

" _But what? You missed your chance with Gordo."  
_  
"But why?"

" _Because how on earth is he supposed to just forget what happened, huh?"_

"I don't know."

 _"You're very confused, Lizzie McGuire…very, very confused."  
_  
Lizzie nodded and put her head down.


	4. Chapter 4

Lizzie picked up the phone and dialed the seven digits she knew so well. She listened to the low ringing, murmuring to herself, "Please pick up…please pick up!" Finally a deep voice said, "Hello?"

"Ethan!"

"Yeah?"

"It's Lizzie…"

"I know."

"You're mad, aren't you?"

"What do you think? I come to my fiancée's house to surprise her, only to find her making out with her best friend from high school on the floor. Guess I was the one who got a surprise."

"Ethan, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"I don't know, Lizzie…"

"Ethan, I really am sorry. What can I do to make you see how sorry I am for hurting you?"

Ethan responded quickly, as if he'd already thought about that question, "Promise me you'll never see David Gordon again."

"What?"

"I want you to never see David Gordon again."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't trust you around him, apparently. I've never had any problem trusting you before. If he's out of the picture, then we'll be okay."

Lizzie stared at the phone, dumbfounded, "Ethan, you can't decide who I'm friends with! Gordo's my friend and what happened was just an accident. It—It—It didn't mean anything." As she spoke, she knew she was lying.

"It's him or me, Liz. Him or me."

"Ethan, you can't seriously expect me to make that kind of decision."

"That's how it has to be."

"But, Ethan, you can trust me! I—I—I love you." More lies, Lizzie thought sadly to herself.

"I'd like to make everything go back the way they were, Lizzie, I really would…but—"

"But nothing, Ethan. Come on. Give it a chance. Gordo's off filming now and he'll be gone for like three weeks. We'll spend so much time together…we'll totally re-connect. What do you say?"

Ethan was silent for a minute. Lizzie assumed he was thinking it over. Finally he took a deep breath and said, "Lizzie, I can't. I'd love to, but I have work and things are just too complicated and confusing. You can't expect me to just forgive and forget, you know. Right now, things are too…" His voice trailed off. He suddenly said, "I can't, Lizzie. I'm not ready to face this…I'm sorry." He hung up the phone.

Lizzie pushed the 'Off' button on her phone and put it on the glass coffee table in front of her. A tear rolled down her cheek. His words had stung her, "I can't trust you…Promise me you'll never see David Gordon again…It's him or me, Liz. Him or me."

How can he make me choose like that? Between my friend and my fiancé. How do I choose? I just can't…you know what's funny, Lizzie? Once upon a time, you were so sure you and Ethan would be together forever…you swore you'd never give up Ethan for Gordo…and now you're considering it…but, things have changed a bit since then, haven't they? I mean, when I thought that, Gordo and I were just friends…now things are different. Things are different.

David Gordon was sitting on his own private jet, staring out the window, and thinking about the last few days. It was like a dream come true, bumping into Lizzie again. He'd never tell her this, but he'd come back to their hometown, wondering if she was still there, and hoping that he'd bump into her if she was. While their actual meeting was an accident, he can't deny that he'd tried to find her.

He glanced to the other side of the plane, where a couch-like seat was under another set of windows. He sighed and kept thinking. How could she do that to me? Even though I still love her, I was willing to look past that and just be friends with her, just like in middle and high school, because she's engaged to Ethan. I wonder if they're still engaged. I wouldn't blame Ethan if he broke up with her. Anyway, I was willing to be just friends, despite my feelings. Why'd she go and ruin it? I mean, kissing her was…amazing. I haven't felt that good in a long time…probably since I graduated from filming school. But even though I completely enjoyed the kiss, it just complicated everything. Who needs Hollywood? I'm living my own drama. Now there's issues with her and Ethan, and I don't know if she blames me at all for them or if she's mad at me or not. I don't know if we could be friends after this. I don't know if I should go back home in three weeks like I was going to…I should just stay and begin working as soon as possible, get everything started early. I don't think I could face her, anyway. Things are just too…different.

His thoughts were interrupted by the captain's voice on the speaker above his seat, "We're preparing to land, Mr. Gordon. Please fasten your seatbelt." Gordo saw no need in listening to the instructions, as he had never taken off his seatbelt in the first place. He sat back in his chair and forced Lizzie out of his mind by thinking about the new movie he was working and all the work he had to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**WOOHOO! The first chapter that is 100% completely mine! The other 4 were just like 10% mine, with some minor edits and corrected grammar. But I am continuing this story!**

Lizzie lied awake at night thinking about what Ethan said.

' _How could he possibly make me choose?'_ She thought to herself. ' _I thought he was better than that.'_

A tear ran down her cheek. She was heartbroken knowing that whoever she chose she would lose the other forever. Right now she hated Ethan for making her choose.

' _How insensitive could he be? I don't make him give up_ _his_ _friends!'_

But then again, she remembered the hurt look on his face when he found her on top of Gordo, while he was surprising her.

' _Oh, why'd I have to cheat? No matter how good it felt, it was still wrong of me, and wasn't fair to either of the guys.'_

Lizzie screamed in frustration! "WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CHOOSE?!" She yelled.

At this point she knew she was going to have a sleepless night, so she got out of bed and went to the kitchen to put on some hot tea.

When she turned on the stove however, she saw something in the corner of her eye. Sitting on her coffee table, was the scrapbook her and her friends kept through their school years.

Lizzie walked over to it, the cover read _**The Three Amigos Memories**_ on it. She smiled to herself as she turned to the first page.

There was a picture of her, Miranda, and Gordo on their first day of middle school. They all had sheepish smiles on their faces because they were terrified of what they'd come across.

Lizzie shivered. ' _Why'd I have to pick THAT outfit?'_ She was wearing a jean school dress with Mary Janes and pigtail braids in the picture. She shivered. ' _No wonder I was never very popular.'_

The next page was all their school pictures from 7th grade cut out and pasted on the paper. Lizzie laughed. ' _Our parents were so mad at us for cutting them up.'_ She giggled when she saw herself covered in green paint holding up a unicorn sweater.

The next three pages were the kids in all their events. Gordo, with his film festivals and documentaries; Miranda, with her violin concerts, her school play, and all her glee club performances; and finally Lizzie, with her at rhythmic gymnastics and all her articles for the school newspaper alongside it.

So it went from there, Lizzie giggling every once in awhile from every single moment the three shared.

The time she came to school wearing a burlap sack because she was trying to save the earth.

The time Gordo fell asleep dressed up as Elvis during his slow bike race against Larry Tudgeman.

When Miranda had won Most Poised in 8th grade.

Their spy mission to get all of their pictures in the school yearbook.

Miranda's pictures from her summer trip to Mexico.

All of Lizzie's advice column letters in alphabetical order, she stared at the one she remembered Gordo had written her.

The class picture of Lizzie kissing Gordos cheek.

Finally, on the very last page, was a picture of Lizzie and Isabella singing in Rome.

She sighed. ' _Gordo was so good to me then, almost giving up his entire trip just so I could get the opportunity of a lifetime.'_ She thought to herself.

Ethan, of course, had no idea what was going on at the time. He just thought Lizzie and Gordo were sneaking out for midnight fiascos when Ms. Ungermyer wasn't watching.

But then she started remembering Ethan.

Ethan's hair, Ethan's eyes, Ethan's total obliviousness.

She remembered when she had helped Ethan in his math class, and when she asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance.

Of course he had turned her down, but that was _way_ before everything that happened.

Before he had bumped into her at the store.

Before she went on her first official date with him.

Before the first kiss.

Before the first time he told her he loved her.

Before he had proposed to her in the middle of Panera Bread.

She smiled, remembering that.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _Ethan, don't get me wrong, but isn't Panera a little plain for our 3 year anniversary?" Lizzie asked her boyfriend Ethan._

 _Ethan shook his head. "Nah, I heard this place has really good food. Plus, my hair modeling agent said that restaurants like these are good for hair."_

 _Lizzie laughed and shook her head._

 _They ordered, and sat at a small table in the corner while they waited for their food._

 _When the waiter brought it to them, Lizzie was noticing Ethan was staring at her an awful lot. Lizzie looked at him strangely._

" _Um… Ethan? Are you ok?' She asked, concerned._

 _He shook out of it. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You just look… really beautiful tonight."_

 _Lizzie giggled. "Aw, thanks Ethan! You clean up nice too!"_

 _They had both began to dig into their food, when Ethan had started staring at Lizzie again._

" _Ethan, could you please stop staring at me? It's really uncomfortable."_

 _Ethan looked hurt. "I can't help it if you're looking amazing!"_

 _Lizzie smiled shyly. "Ok, but could you tone it down?"_

 _Five minutes later Ethan was staring at Lizzie again._

 _Lizzie had enough. "Ethan! I told you to stop staring at me! Why can't you be a normal person and check FaceBook once in awhile or something?!"_

 _Ethan was taken aback. "Normal? NORMAL?! What do you MEAN normal?! If anyone is normal it's you!"_

 _Lizzie got up and yelled. "NORMAL? ME?! I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOLER WHO IMPERSONATED AN ITALIAN POP STAR AND SUNG ON STAGE IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE!"_

 _Ethan was now yelling. "Oh we get it! You were brave enough to sing on stage! Hooray for you!" He yelled sarcastically._

 _Now they were both trading insults back and forth._

" _YOU'RE A KLUTZ!"_

" _YOU PROBABLY CHEATED YOUR WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL!"_

" _YOU NEVER SUPPORT ME IN MY MODELING!"_

" _YOU NEVER SUPPORT ME IN MY DRAMA COACHING!"_

" _YOU WERE OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME AND DIDN'T TAKE IT!"_

" _I CAN'T BELIEVE WE EVER STARTED DATING!"_

" _MARRY ME!"_

 _Lizzie walked backwards. Her face softened but she was still on guard._

" _What the…" Her voice trailed off. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"_

 _Ethan sat down. "Lizzie, I don't have a ring, but I was staring at you because I was wondering whether to propose! And goddamnit I love you too much to not! So Lizzie McGuire, hopefully the future Lizzie Craft, will you marry me?"_

 _Lizzie stood with her mouth hanging open, and her eyes still shone a bit of anger. Then a tear ran down her cheeks and the anger was gone as she sat down._

" _Yes Ethan! Of course I'll marry you!"_

 _She ran over and hugged Ethan while all of Panera cheered for the happy couple. Ethan whispered very softly in her ear._

" _I love you, Lizzie McGuire."_

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

Lizzie remembered being the happiest girl in the world, that night at Panera Bread. She thought she would be with him forever.

' _Oh, why did Gordo have to go and mess it all up?'_ She thought. If he broke her heart all these years ago, why did she still have some feelings for him?

She still remembered that horrible feeling in her gut when he told her he was leaving.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _Gordo stared at the ground as he watched his girlfriend's eyes well up in tears._

" _You're leaving me…?" Her voice cracked._

" _Yeah…"_

" _But why Gordo?"_

" _Lizzie, NYU is offering me a full film scholarship, it's not something that would be so easy to pass up."_

 _Lizzie let a tear drop down to the floor. "You said you would stay here in Hillridge with me."_

 _Gordo sighed. He knew he was breaking her heart, but he had to follow his._

" _Lizzie, I know this breakup is going to be hard on both of us, but I promise we will get through it. We can move on."_

 _Lizzie burst into tears and ugly cried after he said that last part._

 _Gordo bit his lip. "Look Lizzie, we still have four whole days until I have to leave. We can make the most of this time together."_

 _Lizzie cracked a small smile. "I guess so…"_

" _Yeah! And we can write each other every day!"_

" _Yeah!"_

" _We can still be friends!"_

" _Yeah!"_

 _Gordo jumped up from Lizzie's bed where they both were sitting._

" _Well, cmon then! We haven't any time to lose!"_

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

After about a month or two of trying to keep in contact, the two just kinda gave up. It was too difficult just to do so.

But then he came back looking for her, because he missed her and wanted her back.

Ethan had never left her.

But Gordo MISSED her!

All the pros and cons of both of the guys swirled around in Lizzie's head for what seemed like hours.

She lied her back in her couch and watched the ceiling. ' _McGuire, you've got to make a decision. It's either Gordo or Ethan. You can't have both, and taking this long is not fair to either of the guys.'_ She mentally yelled at herself.

Then, just as the kettle whistled

 **TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!**

Lizzie had made her choice. She turned off the stove, picked up the phone, and dialed his number.

' _Please pick up, please pick up!'_

Right then, she heard someone's voice on the other line. She sighed, ' _I can't believe I'm about to do this.'_

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me... Lizzie."

 **Dun dun DUN! Who did she pick? Let me know who you thought! Who did you WANT her to pick? Find out in the next chapter! This was 6 pages long, so it took me a while...**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is the continued phone call, enjoy!**

"Lizzie?"

"Yeah, hi Ethan…"

"Why are you calling?"

"Because you're my fiancé!" Lizzie cried, her eyes welling into tears. How could he have forgotten?!

"Well, I know that, but I thought I said I didn't want to talk to you until you've made a decision."

Lizzie gritted her teeth. "I _have_ made a decision Ethan."

"Ok, who'd you pick?"

Lizzie sighed. ' _I can't believe I'm about to do this.'_ She thought.

"Ethan, I choose…"

"Yeah?"

"I choose… You."

Lizzie could almost hear his lips curving up into a selfish smile.

"Is that so?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, Gordo will no longer be a part of my life anymore, from now on I'm all yours."

"I'm sorry I made you choose Lizzie, I just don't feel safe anymore when you're with him."

"It's ok Ethan, I understand completely, it was my fault…" Lizzie choked out.

"Thanks Lizzie. I have to go now, bye!"

"Bye!"

She clicked the END CALL button and sat on the couch with her hot tea, wondering if she made the right choice, and also wondering why Ethan was up at 3AM anyway.

She decided she would soothe her mind by listening to the radio, so she tuned to her favorite station and sat back.

 **Hey hey all you late night listeners out their! You're at 98.6 the FOX! Next up is a hit sweeping the nation, 'Cry' by Alexx Caslise is coming up now!**

Lizzie groaned. ' _Great, just another song to remind me of how I feel, thanks radio.'_

 _ **Well I guess it's been a while  
Since I've seen the sunshine  
Since I have smiled  
And me, who's so well versed  
Is feeling so damn empty  
Is at a loss for words  
Forgot what it's like  
To just to feel okay  
I'm praying for the day  
When there is no more rain**_

 _ **And I don't wanna do anything but cry  
Oh, and I don't wanna do anything but cry**_

 _ **(I don't wanna do anything but cry)**_

 _ **Well I hardly feel alive  
I'm going through the motions  
But I don't feel like trying  
The hole in my heart is growing bigger by the day  
I wish that I could crawl inside  
Hide away**_

 _ **And I don't wanna do anything but cry  
Oh, and I don't wanna do anything but cry**_

 _ **Oh, I'm so low  
I'm almost to the bottom  
And oh, nowhere to go  
Even my soul has left my body**_

 _ **Oh, and I don't wanna do anything but cry  
Oh, and I don't wanna do anything but cry  
And I don't wanna do anything but cry  
And I don't wanna do anything but cry**_

By this time Lizzie was bawling her eyes out, and her cup of tea was left untouched on her coffee table. She dragged her feet on her carpet to her room and cried herself to sleep.

 **Yeah, it was short, sorry. But I just wanted to write to tell who she chose, did you think she chose the right guy?**

 **Anyways, I still haven't gotten any reviews, so R &R please! Next update will be after I get 5 reviews! So review if you want more… MWAHAHA!**


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